Costume Culture: Visual Rhetoric, Iconography, and Tokenism In
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COSTUME CULTURE: VISUAL RHETORIC, ICONOGRAPHY, AND TOKENISM IN COMIC BOOKS A Dissertation by MICHAEL G. BAKER Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies Texas A&M University-Commerce in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May 2017 COSTUME CULTURE: VISUAL RHETORIC, ICONOGRAPHY, AND TOKENISM IN COMIC BOOKS A Dissertation by MICHAEL G. BAKER Submitted to: Advisor: Christopher Gonzalez Committee: Tabetha Adkins Donna Dunbar-Odom Mike Odom Head of Department: M. Hunter Hayes Dean of the College: Salvatore Attardo Interim Dean of Graduate Studies: Mary Beth Sampson iii Copyright © 2017 Michael G. Baker iv ABSTRACT COSTUME CULTURE: VISUAL RHETORIC, ICONOGRAPHY, AND TOKENISM IN COMIC BOOKS Michael G. Baker, PhD Texas A&M University-Commerce, 2017 Advisor: Christopher Gonzalez, PhD Superhero comic books provide a unique perspective on marginalized characters not only as objects of literary study, but also as opportunities for rhetorical analysis. There are representations of race, gender, sexuality, and identity in the costuming of superheroes that impact how the audience perceives the characters. Because of the association between iconography and identity, the superhero costume becomes linked with the superhero persona (for example the Superman “S” logo is a stand-in for the character). However, when iconography is affected by issues of tokenism, the rhetorical message associated with the symbol becomes more difficult to decode. Since comic books are sales-oriented and have a plethora of tie-in merchandise, the iconography in these symbols has commodified implications for those who choose to interact with them. When consumers costume themselves with the visual rhetoric associated with comic superheroes, the wearers engage in a rhetorical discussion where they perpetuate whatever message the audience places on that image. Such messages can be especially problematic if they are informed by tokenism, and have sexist, racist, or other v offensive associations that comic companies ignore in favor of producing mass merchandise. This dissertation examines the power of costume iconography, especially from superhero characters impacted by tokenism, and the implications of comic companies favoring merchandising over meaning—resulting in racist, sexist, or otherwise negative undertones seeping into products in a commodified world that support or maintain destructive, stereotypical understandings of marginalized peoples. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to my amazing professors and mentors at Texas A&M University-Commerce. You have given me something to aspire to. Thank you, specifically, to my committee: Dr. Tabetha Adkins who taught me how to teach, Dr. Donna Dunbar-Odom who taught me how to be critical, Mike Odom for giving me a push in the creative direction so I did not become boring, and my advisor, Dr. Chris Gonzalez, for fostering a love of comics—a topic I never thought I would be able to talk about academically. This dissertation would also not have been possible without the support of my dog, Fritz, who provided much needed cuteness. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1. COSTUME CULTURE: RHETORICAL MEANING IN COMICS ......................... 1 Visual Verbal Narratives .................................................................................... 10 Review of Literature .......................................................................................... 12 Theoretical Framework ...................................................................................... 20 Organization of Dissertation Chapters ............................................................... 25 2. PHILOSOPHIZING ICONOGRAPHY: UNDERSTANDING THE RHETORICAL IMPLICATIONS OF ICONS AND SYMBOLS ...................................................... 32 3. IS IT, OR ISN’T IT? TOKENISM AND DIVERSITY IN COMICS ...................... 52 Black Lightning ................................................................................................. 61 Storm .................................................................................................................. 63 Cyborg ................................................................................................................ 66 Vixen .................................................................................................................. 69 Blue Beetle ......................................................................................................... 71 Wonder Woman ................................................................................................. 75 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 81 4. LIVING IN A MATERIAL WORLD: COMMODIFIED IMPLICATIONS OF TOKENISM .............................................................................................................. 83 Branding Implications ........................................................................................ 86 Participatory Popular Culture Implications ....................................................... 94 Reaction/Reflection of Societal Struggles ......................................................... 99 viii 5. CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................... 105 Implications ...................................................................................................... 106 Reflections ....................................................................................................... 109 Future Research ............................................................................................... 111 WORKS CITED ...................................................................................................................... 114 VITA ........................................................................................................................................ 119 ix LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1. Lobdell, Scott and Kenneth Rocafort. Superman. 2.13, New York: DC Comics, 2012. .......................................................................................................... 19 2. Bettany, Paul, Actor. Avengers: Age of Ultron. Directed by Joss Whedon, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2015. ...................................................................................... 22 3. Isabella, Tony, and Trevor Von Eeden. Black Lightning. 1.1, New York: DC Comics, 1977. ............................................................................................................................... 62 4. Berry, Halle, Actor. Avengers: X-Men: Days of Future Past. Directed by Bryan Singer, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 2014. .......................................................... 65 5. Wolfman, Marv and George Perez. The New Teen Titans. 1.9, New York: DC Comics, 1981. ............................................................................................................................... 67 6. Sable, Mark and Kim Lashley. DC Special: Cyborg. 1.2, New York: DC Comics, 2008. ............................................................................................................68 7. Robinson, James, and Mark Bagley. Justice League of America. 3.38, New York: DC Comics, 2009. ................................................................................................................ 70 8. McKeever, Sean and Eddy Barrows. Teen Titans 3.60. New York: DC Comics, 2008. 73 9. Johns, Geoff, Todd DeZago, Sean McKeever, Marv Wolfman, and Randy Green. Teen Titans 3.50. New York: DC Comics, 2007. ................................................................... 74 10. Levitz, Paul and Marv Wolfman. Wonder Woman. 1.287, New York: DC Comics, 1982. ................................................................................................................ 79 11. Thomas, Roy and Gene Colan. Wonder Woman. 1.288, New York: DC Comics, 1982. .......................................................................................................... 89 x 12. Blickley, Leigh. "‘Supergirl’ Star Melissa Benoist’s Women’s March Sign Was Out Of This World." The Huffington Post, 23 Jan. 2017. ........................................................ 101 13. Gray, Justin, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Amanda Conner. Ame-Comi 1: Wonder Woman. 1.2, New York: DC Comics, 2012. ..................................................................................... 107 1 Chapter 1 COSTUME CULTURE: RHETORICAL MEANING IN COMICS Superhero costumes are iconic, remarkable, and deceptively complex. Everything from the detailing of the costume, to the fit on a character’s body, to the choice of color scheme means something significant in a rhetorical context. The costuming of a superhero also prompts the viewer to consider issues concerning identity positions. For instance, when fictional characters are costumed in a specific way, they create a unique visual identity, what we might call a brand (which is also how the companies that own these characters make money). But when the brand is troubled by issues of marginalization and becomes problematic, it can undermine expectations and cause unsettling mixed messages. Imagine going to a recognizable restaurant with golden arches only to find a selection of motor parts. Although ridiculous, the example is similar to how the iconography